Recent cuts to foreign aid have threatened to reverse decades of progress for Africa’s health sector, highlighting the urgent need for more sustainable, locally owned solutions. Digital public infrastructure, or DPI, could prove an essential component in this reimagining of health care across the continent — if done right, said experts.
Historically, many African countries have relied on external donors to fund digital health projects. But these were often discrete and lacked integration with other digital services, making them less effective than they could have been.
DPI is a foundational system of interoperable digital services, which allows for the reuse, sharing, and mapping of real-time data — enabling faster and more inclusive access to medical care, direct insurance and universal health care payouts, and better management of public health campaigns. If locally owned, it also promises to be more cost-effective and sustainable.